O'Neal keeps finding employment despite declining athleticism and a predilection for injury. He's averaged just 33 games per season the last three years, but feels his knees are good after undergoing a second round of Regenokine treatment – a form of blood manipulation therapy – this summer. O'Neal had his first treatment in the summer of 2012, and the 55 games he played for Phoenix last season was the most he'd played in the past three seasons. At this point, teams aren't (or shouldn't be) looking for him to be an important contributor. The Warriors would be happy if he can play 15 minutes a night without much drop off defensively in the low post. There's been a decline in offensive production in his advanced years, but O'Neal remains a pretty good rim protector and rebounder.
O'Neal is 33, but it is an old 33. JO has gone through numerous ailments over the years, and after coming to the NBA straight out of High School, O'Neal's legs are not like the average 33 year olds legs. He has value as a defensive player for a team when healthy, but will not provide anything offensively, and should not be drafted in fantasy leagues this year.
O'Neal has noted that heading into this season, he's as healthy as he's been in years. Pardon us if we're not buying it. At this point, even when healthy, he's a fantasy non-factor. He ranked 56th among centers last season in ESPN formats, and his averages of 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 46% shooting from the field were downright abysmal. The only thing he may bring to the table is blocks, as he swatted 1.3 shots per game when healthy, and 1.8 per game in the playoffs.
No longer an elite player, O'Neal averaged 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last season. He managed to play in 70 games for the first time since 2003-04, as there are few bigger injury risks in the league. O'Neal signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Celtics during the offseason, and with Kendrick Perkins rehabbing from a serious knee injury, O'Neal enters 2010-11 as Boston's starting center. However, that will still make him no better than the fifth option on a loaded offense, and Shaquille O'Neal was also brought in to come off the bench. Perkins will be back mid-season as well, so O'Neal will be looking at limited minutes and is nothing more than an injury-prone role player at this stage of his career.
After spending eight seasons with the Pacers, O’Neal spent a 41-game stint with the Raptors before being shipped to Miami prior to last season’s trade deadline. O’Neal appeared in 27 games for the Heat, averaging 13 points, 5.4 rebounds and two blocks per game. O’Neal’s value used to be directly tied to his health, but at 31, he’s no longer the franchise centerpiece he was in Indiana. Instead, O’Neal plays third or fourth fiddle on most nights, deferring to All-Star Dwyane Wade or up-and-comer Michael Beasley. Make no mistake, though, O’Neal’s health still factors into the equation. Last season was the fourth straight campaign he played in less than 70 games. The good news on the injury front is that O’Neal didn’t have any problems with his knees last season, which have long plagued him. Despite the injury concerns and diminished role, O’Neal’s one of the better defensive big men in the league, recording two or more blocks per game each of the past nine seasons. By all accounts, O’Neal will be at full health when the season tips off, and while his offensive and rebounding production are no longer All-Star worthy, he’s still the Heat’s best option on the block and offers solid production in those categories.
O’Neal’s value is tied almost entirely into his health these days. He missed 40 games last season, the third time in the last four years that he has missed at least 30 games. O’Neal still has borderline elite fantasy talent, but with a balky knee and a desire to be traded out of Indiana he produced one of his worst fantasy lines of the new millenium last year (13.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg). He enters this season presumably healthier and a lot happier now that he’s been traded to Toronto to play next to Chris Bosh. The O’Neal/Bosh twin towers should help take the pressure off of each other, which could lead to better health and less wearing down. Don’t put too much trust in O’Neal, but if he is healthy and motivated he’s going to help you significantly in points, rebounds, blocks and field-goal percentage.
O'Neal suffered a tumultuous offseason, hearing his name bandied about in numerous trade rumors, only end the summer still with the Pacers. If the Pacers get off to a slow start, expect to hear the rumors of him going to the Lakers resurface. As a putative fantasy owner, that shouldn't be your biggest concern. Instead, worry more about O'Neal's left knee, upon which he had surgery in April to repair torn cartilage. He's on schedule to be ready for training camp, but his playing time trends are pretty ugly - he's played 44, 51 and 69 games respectively the last three seasons. Because he's a marquee name, you'll still have to pay sticker price in your draft to get him, however. Statistically, most of his trends remain steady, except for his shooting percentages. His FG% dipped significantly last year to 43.6%, but his FT% improved to 76.7%. One final note - watch his position-eligibility closely. He is listed as a forward-center in many services so far, but he only started four games at center last season, so it's possible he'll only be useable at forward in your league. Check your league's rules accordingly.
O’Neal started 19 games at center last season, so he’ll qualify in most fantasy leagues. After suffering a second-half groin tear, O’Neal returned as a dominant force, averaging 20.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in April. He has apparently survived Indiana’s dysfunction last season and rumored lineup shakeups. A gifted scorer, who is devastating in one-on-one matchups, O’Neal will be the first option in an offense that needs to replace Peja Stojakovic’s 15 shots per game.
Last year was a season largely lost to injuries and suspension for O'Neal, though he was dominant in the 44 games he played, averaging 24.3 points and close to nine rebounds per game. O'Neal returned to the Pacers' lineup in March with a shoulder that wasn't completely healed, and while he wasn't as effective as he had been early in the season, he showed a willingness to play through pain to help his team make an improbable run to the conference semis. A healthy O'Neal will give you 20 and 10 just about every night, with two or more blocks and passable free throw shooting for a big man. The Pacers could be very good, adding Danny Granger and Sarunas Jasikevicius to an already powerful roster, and O'Neal's numbers should benefit from the defense's inability to collapse on him.
Is Jermaine O'Neal a superstar who doesn't get enough credit because he plays in Indianapolis? Or is he a reasonably competent big man who has made a reputation playing in a conference that's very short on reasonably competent big men? Time will tell. Of course, to the roto player, it doesn't really matter if he's an elite player, or if he's overrated and unlikely to lead a team to a championship. You can still more or less bank on 20-and-10 from him every night. One important note – in many fantasy leagues, O’Neal no longer qualifies at center, having started only one game at center last season. O’Neal worked hard on his free throw shooting over the last two seasons, improving to 75.7% from the line last year, topping the 70% threshold for the second consecutive season. His improvement from the line preserved his scoring average, as he slumped badly from the field last year, dropping from 48 percent to 43 percent. He played hurt for much of the season, which might explain the drop.
O'Neal improved in many aspects of his game in 2002-03, yet again. He averaged 20.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, and improved his shooting both from the field and from the line. He even made seven three-pointers, as a bonus to his fantasy owners. In his three years with the Pacers his FT% has improved from 60.1%, to 68.8%, to 73.1% last year. Our only concern about O'Neal is how he responds to the firing of Isiah Thomas - O'Neal flourished under Thomas and was irate when Thomas was canned. There's a possibility he might chafe under new coach Rick Carlisle's system.
